Luis Sánchez-Betances is a former Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Presently he is the CEO of the Firm, and chairs its Commercial and Civil Litigation Team. As litigator and trial attorney, he has actively participated in almost all of the mayor and complex cases in the Federal and Puerto Rico jurisdiction during more than four decades.
He began his career as a Fellow at the Reginald Heber Smith Community Lawyer Fellowship Program, Howard University, Washington, DC. As such, he was assigned to the Puerto Rico Legal Services, Inc., representing legally indigents all over the Island. During his tenure, in addition to being a staff attorney in the Law Reform Division, he acted as interim director of Division.
After being an attorney at the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board, he moved to the Academia, teaching Management, Business Law and Consumer Rights in the Business School of the University of Puerto Rico; in addition to being the Director of the Business and Consumer Research Center of the School. In 1976 he entered into private practice as an associate in a local firm until 1981 when, with a classmate, founded the Firm.
Education
LL.B., Cum Laude, University of Puerto Rico Law School, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1972
New York University, Spring Semester, New York, New York, l971
B.B.A., University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1969
Professional Experience
Sánchez-Betances, Sifre & Muñoz-Noya, 2014 to present
Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 2013
Sánchez-Betances, Sifre & Muñoz-Noya, P.S.C., 2004-2013
Sánchez-Betances & Sifre, P.S.C., 1981-2004
Bar Admissions
Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, l973
Supreme Court of the United States, 2001
U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, l973
District of Columbia Court of Appeals, l984
U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, l973
Practice Areas
Civil and Commercial Litigation
Health Law
Insurance Law
Administrative Law
Transactional
Professional Organizations
Puerto Rico Bar Association
District of Columbia Bar
Society of Attorney Generals Emeritus
Reported representative cases in which Mr. Sánchez-Betances has participated:
Supreme Court of the United States
Puerto Rico v. Franklin Cal. Tax-Free Trust, 136 S. Ct. 1938 (U.S. 2016)
Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
Peerless Oil & Chem., Inc. v. Hermanos Torres Pérez, Inc., 186 D.P.R. 239 (2012)
San Gerónimo Caribe Project v. Administración de Reglamentos Permisos, 173 D.P.R. 241 (2008)
San Gerónimo Caribe Project v. Estado Libre Asociado De P.R., 174 D.P.R. 518 (2008)
San Gerónimo Caribe Project v. Administración de Reglamentos y Permisos, 174 D.P.R. 640 (2008)
Ortiz Nieves y otros v. Union Carbide Grafito, 148 D.P.R. 860 (1999)
Aponte Rivera, etc. v. Sears Roebuck de P.R., Inc., 144 D.P.R. 830 (1998)
Aponte Rivera, etc. v. Sears Roebuck de P.R., Inc., 145 D.P.R. 245 (1998)
Granados Navedo v. Rodríguez Estrada, 127 D.P.R. 1 (1990)
Vellón Maldonado v. Squibb Mfg., Inc., 117 D.P.R. 838 (1986)
Court of Appeals of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
Popular Secs. v. Diaz, 2015 PR App. LEXIS 1358 (2015)
San Gerónimo Caribe Project, Inc. v. Administración de Reglamentos y Permisos, 2008 PR App. LEXIS 777 (2008)
U.S. Temporary Emergency Court of Appeals
Isla Petroleum Corp. v. Puerto Rico Dep’t of Consumer Affairs, 811 F.2d 1511 (1986)
U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
Efron v. Mora Dev. Corp., 675 F.3d 45 (1st Cir. P.R. 2012)
College of Dental Surgs. of P.R. v. Conn. Gen. Life Ins. Co., 585 F.3d 33 (1st Cir. P.R. 2009)
Rossello-Gonzalez v. Calderon-Serra, 398 F.3d 1 (1st Cir. P.R. 2004)
UPS v. Flores-Galarza, 318 F.3d 323 (1st Cir. P.R. 2003)
Efron v. Embassy Suites (P.R.), Inc., 223 F.3d 12 (1st Cir. P.R. 2000)
Rodriguez v. Banco Cent., 990 F.2d 7 (1st Cir. P.R. 1993)
Rodriguez v. Banco Central, 917 F.2d 664 (1st Cir. P.R. 1990)
Kali Seafood, Inc. v. Howe Corp., 887 F.2d 7 (1st Cir. P.R. 1989)
Tenoco Oil Co. v. Department of Consumer Affairs, 876 F.2d 1013 (1st Cir. P.R. 1989)
National Expositions, Inc. v. Crowley Maritime Corp., 824 F.2d 131 (1st Cir. P.R. 1987)
Rodriguez v. Banco Central, 790 F.2d 172 (1st Cir. P.R. 1986)
U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico
P.R. College of Dental Surgeons v. Triple S Mgmt., 290 F.R.D. 19 (2013)
United States v. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, USDCPR, Civil No., 12-2039 (GAG)
Torres-Ronda v. Joint Underwriting Ass’n, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 143264 (2012)
Reebok Int’l v. Sebelen, 959 F. Supp. 553 (1997)
In re San Juan Dupont Plaza Hotel Fire Litig., 789 F. Supp. 1212 (1992)
Rodriguez v. Banco Central, 727 F. Supp. 759 (1989)
Saavedra Rodríguez v. Enron Corporation, et als. Civil no. 96-2443 (CCC), In re Río Piedras Explosion Litigation, 1986-1989.
